ZST 31 - 03/17/2012: Does It Matter? - Full Results

Almost all Japanese MMA media used the comment from thefounder of RINGS Akira Maeda.

After the ZST bantamweight title match between Keisuke Fujiwara and TetsuyaFusano, he told the reporters, "I thought, 'is Fujiwara happy with thatperformance?' He was only defending the shoot and he didn't do anything else.His opponent was shooting in so he was more aggressive. If I were a judgeFujiwara will be losing via decision."

Some media even wrote "Fujiwara Defended Third Straight Times But MaedaWas Critical" as the headliner of the article.

So why does it matter? Why everyone cares about what Maeda is thinking?

Well, first of all, ZST was created as sort of like the minor league of RINGSby former RINGS employees. Therefore, this promotion will always be under theinfluence of Maeda. Maeda is like a mentor to everyone in this promotion. Ontop of this, obviously, RINGS has provided a support in terms of bookingfighters from overseas.

For the promoter of the MMA promotion doing the show at Differ Ariake, itsalmost financially impossible to fly in two fighters from UK but apparentlythis was possible with Maeda's support.

That is why, what Maeda thinks and says are very very important for everyone inZST.

However, for Fujiwara, this was the fight he really needed to win.

He captured this title back in May 2009 and defended the belt twice. However,last year, he lost two in a row in DREAM then lost a non-title fight in ZST sothis was the fight he just couldn't afford to lose.

And it was more than apparent that Fusano wanted to take the fight to theground while Fujiwara wanted to keep in standing. Fusano kept shooting intherefore Fujiwara just had to defend it.

Sure even the referee Ryokaku Wada had to yell "Don't run away you are thechampion!" during the fight because Fujiwara sprawled and he was hangingon the corner.

Perhaps Fujiwara was playing safe but Maeda didn't like that at all.

"That is not a champion-like fight. He may have won the decision but thatmeans he only won the game. Considering this as a professional fight by thechampion I give it 0."

And he declared, "From now on I am going to be critical of ZST fighters aswell. I don't care if people dislike me. I want everyone to understand whatdoes it mean to be pro."